The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.
(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to control surfaces for undersea vehicles. More particularly, this invention relates to control surfaces stowed in an annular intake recess on a vehicle and deployed outwardly to create large control surfaces.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Elongate undersea vehicles, such as torpedoes are being used by many navies for offensive and defensive purposes. They are efficiently engineered to be compact, yet be able to carry heavy loads of ordnance or instrumentation packages over considerable distances. En route, they can be steered and maneuvered to intercept a distant moving target vessel or deliver the payload to a destination. Their propulsion systems have continued to improve over the years and one of these improvements is generally referred to as the integrated motor propulsor (IMP). Some typical IMPs and improvements related thereto are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,078,628, 5,205,653, 5,252,875, 5,220,231, 5,607,329, 5,649,811, and 5,702,273. An IMP can integrate an electric motor with the moving parts of a ducted propeller. Control surfaces cannot be added that extend beyond the periphery of the annular duct because the diameter of the propulsor then exceeds the constraints of contemporary tube-shaped launchers. Control surfaces should not interfere with the propulsor inflow and not influence the maximum propulsor diameter. In accordance with this invention it was discovered that better control surfaces for contemporary IMP vehicles improve control surface performance.
Some concepts for improving control surfaces might meet the requirements for minimal inflow disturbance and maximum diameter of the propulsor. These concepts include, 1) vectoring thrust, 2) mounting canard wings forward on the vehicle, 3) including wings which fold out from inside of the IMP duct, and 4) making a flexible vehicle (vehicle gimbaled in center). Although these concepts may meet some requirements for integration of control surfaces for an IMP, they do not completely eliminate inflow disturbances from the IMP, do not maximize available volume for the IMP, and do not lend themselves to simple control systems.
Thus, in accordance with this inventive concept, a need has been recognized in the state of the art for improved control surfaces for an IMP that do not interfere with inflow and outflow, allow launch from contemporary tube diameters, and do not rely on complicated systems.
The first object of the invention is to provide a control surface system for a torpedo-like undersea vehicle.
Another object is to provide a control surface system for an undersea vehicle propelled by an IMP.
Another object is to provide an improved control surface system for an IMP that does not interfere with inflow and outflow, allows launch from contemporary tube diameters, and does not rely on unduly complicating systems.
These and other objects of the invention will become more readily apparent from the ensuing specification when taken in conjunction with the appended claims.
Accordingly, the present invention is a control surface system particularly well suited to provide improved control for undersea vehicles having integrated motor propulsors (IMP). The control surface system is deployable beyond lateral peripheral dimensions of the IMP and undersea vehicle. Arc-shaped control elements are disposed in a stowed position in an annular intake recess inside of an annular duct on the undersea vehicle. Struts connect each of the control elements to the annular duct. A deployment device rotates each of the control elements and the struts radially outwardly beyond lateral peripheral dimensions of the vehicle to a fully deployed position. A latching mechanism, selectively engages and disengages the struts to hold the control elements in the stowed position and the fully deployed position, respectively.